#DundeeMovie: Bring Back Dundee sparks frenzy

Margot Robbie in new Dundee movie:
Margot Robbie is the latest star to join the cast of a Dundee ‘movie’.

EVEN before its Superbowl screening to millions on Monday, the creative pitch to bring back Crocodile Dundee has sparked an NT News petition to resurrect the film franchise.

DO YOU WANT CROCODILE DUNDEE BACK? VOTE BELOW

Still Australia's biggest hit at the local box office, the Paul Hogan blockbuster which put the larrikin actor and our outback on the international map, is the inspiration for an all-star 'trailer' - starring Chris Hemsworth and Oscar nominee Margot Robbie - set to air during the NFL's end-of-season showdown.

The excitement around the Crocodile Dundee show reels — featuring Margot Robbie — has sparked a petition to Bring Back Dundee.

Tourism Australia on Sunday refused to comment on rumours the Dundee show reels were part of a Super Bowl ad campaign, which has teased fans for weeks with the prospect of the movie's revival.

Now, even before the $5 million ad goes to air before an estimated TV audience of more than 100 million US viewers alone, the NT News has seized on the viral sensation to launch 'Bring Back Dundee'.

Making the most of momentum around the Superbowl spoof, the public campaign will seek celebrity and government support for the film to be lured back into production - potentially bringing with it a jobs bonanza in both the tourism and entertainment sectors.

The 1986 movie holds the local box office record, with $48 million in ticket sales, while its sequel, Crocodile Dundee 2 banked $24.9 million for Hoges, his business partner John Cornell and other savvy investors.

Tourism Australia refused to comment on rumours the Dundee show reels were part of a Super Bowl ad campaign.

The classic fish-out-of-water tale saw an Akubra-clad Mick Dundee travel from the wilds of the Northern Territory to New York, where he saw off armed thugs with a slick smile and his trusty blade, with the famous line: 'that's not a knife, this is a knife.'

Scenes of his sexy co-star and now ex-wife, Linda Kozlowski wading into crocodile-infested waters also thrilled US audiences, who travelled 'down under' in their thousands to see the exotic Aussie landscape and its killer animals for themselves.

Paul Hogan and Linda Koslowski on the set of the original Crocodile Dundee in 1986.

At the time, the film generated thousands of tourism jobs in the Territory; while any big screen reboot would provide creative opportunities for local cast and crews.

Graeme Mason, chief executive for Screen Australia, which helps finance local film and TV productions, said "when you're dealing with a creative team that has a track record [like Dundee], or a story that people already have an affinity with, that's always attractive."

"Crocodile Dundee remains the most successful Aussie movie at the local box office and most likely our biggest hit internationally too, although more recent films like Mad Max: Fury Road, Babe and Happy feet have come close to taking that global crown."

He said any Dundee revival would also follow a recent TV trend to "reimagine" hits of the past, including Storm Boy, Romper Stomper and the hotly-anticipated Foxtel drama series, Picnic At Hanging Rock.

"Our screen industry is the most effective calling card our country has internationally. Our screen stories show the world our landscapes, our people, our culture and, of course, our creativity."